Cement mason&#39;s float



1956 s. BRUNSON CEMENT MASON'S FLOAT Filed June 8. 1953 United States Patent CEMENT MASONS FLOAT Leigh S. Brunson, Milwaukee, Wis.

Application June s, 1953, Serial No. 360,060 2 Claims. C 306-44) The invention relates generally to cement workers tools and more particularly to a tool known as a float.

In forming cement or concrete structures having exposed horizontal surfaces, such as floors, sidewalks and the like, it is desirable to finish the cement before setting so that a smooth surface is obtained thereon and any air pockets in the material adjacent the surface are eliminated. This involves so working the material that coarse aggregates therein are forced below the surface of the wet mass and any air in the mass resulting from pouring is forced out of the mass. A smooth hard surface is thus obtained after the cement has set.

For working cement in this manner, a cement mason utilizes a tool known as a float which frequently is made of wood and comprises a flat rectangular blade portion on the upper surface of which is attached a handle extending parallel to such surface. Wood, of course, has a tendency to warp when moist and easily splits under the forces to which it is subjected during use. Moreover, it becomes badly worn and roughened from contact with the stone in the cement. Steel floats have also been tried but such form involves riveting or welding to secure the handle to the blade portion. Such riveting or welding mars the lower surface of the blade portion-andcan be too easily broken.

' The general object of the invention is therefore to provide a novel float which is made of magnesium, rather than wood or steel, and which has the handle attached thereto in a, manner that will withstand hard usage.

Another object is to provide a novel float which may be easily manufactured at relatively low cost and which provides a highly satisfactory tool capable of long wear.

A further object is to provide a novel float, the handle of which is rigidly secured to the blade portion of the float in a novel manner and is held against twisting.

Other objects and advantages will become apparent from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is a side elevational viewof a cement masons float embodying the features of the invention;

' Fig. 2 is a front elevational view of the float;

Fig. 3 is a, fragmentary longitudinal sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2; and

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary plan view of the bladeportion of the float. 3

For cement workers tools, it has been found that magnesium is an exceptionally good material to use for the reason that magnesium seems to prevent the wet cement from adhering to the tool. In the case of wood and steel, there is some adherence of the moist cement to the surfaces of tools made of such materials so that, when smoothing a surface of cement, great care must be exercised to avoid roughening the surface because of the adhesion of the cement to the tool. With a tool made of magnesium, the lack of adhesion permits a worker to obtain a smooth surface without having to exercise great care.

Furthermore, the lightness of magnesium makes a highly desirable tool, and the fact that it can be extruded into desired shapes lends itself to the easy manufacture of tools for this purpose. It is thus possible to obtain a tool which is highly satisfactory in use and yet may be made relatively inexpensively.

A cement masons float comprises a flat blade portion with a handle mounted above the upper surface of the blade portion and extending generally parallel thereto. In the case of a wood float, it is difficult to obtain a satisfactory mounting for the handle on the blade portion. In the case of a steel float, if the blade portion is to be thin enough to avoid undue weight, the handle is attached by means of rivets or the like extending through the blade and appearing on the lower surface thereof, or supports for the handle are welded to the upper surface of the blade. In the case of rivets, the lower ends thereof must be carefully smoothed to lie flush with the bottom face of the blade, and in both the case of rivets and welding, there is considerable chance of the handle supports breaking away from the blade portion when the tool is subjected to heavy use.

A tool embodying the features of the invention has a blade portion made of magnesium shaped in such a manner that it may be made by an extrusion process. With the lightness of magnesium, the blade may be given a substantial thickness, and an integral rib may be formed on the blade extending longitudinally along the upper surface thereof. Such rib provides a means by which a handle structure may be rigidly secured to the blade portion without welding or without rivets extending through to the lower surface of the blade. Thus, the tool may be readily manufactured and has sufficient strength, particularly in the manner in which the handle is mounted, to withstand extremely hard usage. i

The preferred embodiment of the invention shown in the drawing comprises a blade portion, indicated generally at 10, and a handle portion indicated generally at 11. The blade portion comprises a substantially rectangular elongated plate 12 having integrally formed therewith a reinforcing rib 13 extending longitudinally thereof along the center line. Because of the uniform cross section throughout substantially the entire length of the blade portion 10, such blade portion may be readily made of magnesium by the extrusion process. This results in lengths of material having the same cross section throughout its length as the blade portion and comprising the plate 12 and the rib 13. A suitable length is cut from the extruded strip to form the blade portion 10. In the finished tool, it is desirable to shorten the rib 13 so that it does not extend to the extreme ends of the plate 12. To accomplish this, the end portions of the rib are ground or milled off to the form indicated at 14 at each end of the blade portion.

The rib 13 provides a substantial body of metal to which the handle structure 11 may be attached so as to provide an extremely rigid mounting for the handle. v In the present instance, the handle structurecomprises a front support 15, a rear support 16 and a handle 17 In the preferred form, the handle supports 15 and 16 are mounted in sockets provided in the reinforcing rib. 13 in such a manner that when the handle 17 is secured to the supports 15 and 16, the latter are rigidly held in their respective sockets. This is accomplished by so forming the sockets that the handle supports have a horizontal component of movement longitudinally of the rib 13 when being inserted into the sockets, with such movement for the respective supports 15 and 16 being in opposite directions.

Thus, in the specific embodiment shown herein, a narrow elongated socket 20 for the front support is provided in the rib 13. To permit the socket to be easily formed, the latter is provided with rounded ends 21 so that it may be formed by a milling cutter such as an end mill. The socket 20 also includes a bore 22 extending forwardly and downwardly from the front end of the socket. The bore 22 is placed as near a horizontal position as is possible and still permit it to be formed by a drill extending inwardly into the socket 20. Thus, the bore 22 is formed on an axis indicated by the line 23 and opens generally longitudinally of the rib.

To place the front support into the socket and hold it in such position, the front support is provided with a base 24 conforming substantially in shape to the shape of the socket 20, and extending forwardly from the base 24 is a pin 25 of slightly smaller diameter than the bore 22. By tilting the front support to the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 3, the pin may be inserted into the bore 22, and the front support 15 may then be shifted to its upright position with the base 24 firmly seated in the socket 20. The slightly smaller diameter of the pin 25 than the socket 22 permits such tilting movement, and the rear end of the base 24 is slightly beveled as at 26 so that the base may be tilted downwardly into the socket and will fit snugly therein. The front support 15 thus may be removed or loosened only by tilting it forwardly to lift the rear end of the base 24 out of the socket 20 and then sliding it rearwardly along the axis 23.

The rear support 16 comprises a bar which is substantially rectangular in horizontal cross section having a pin at its lower end extending downwardly and rearwardly. The rib 13 is provided with a bore 29 which also extends downwardly and rearwardly and is of substantially the same diameter as the pin 30. The axis of the bore 29 in which the pin 30 is positioned is indicated at 31. Thus, when the pin 30 is seated in its socket or bore in the rib 13, it may be removed only by movement upwardly and forwardly to move the pin 30 along the axis 31.

Since the front support 15 can be removed from its socket only 'by tilting it and moving the base 24 rearwardly along the axis 23, and since the pin 30 of the rear support 16 may be removed from the rib 13 only by moving it forwardly and upwardly along the axis 31, the two supports are held seated in their respective sockets by rigidly clamping their upper ends in fixed relation to each other. Such clamping is effected by the handle 17 and the means for supporting it, which means also holds the handle against twisting. To this end, the front support is provided with a rod 32 preferably formed integrally therewith and extending through the handle 17 and the upper end of the rear support 16. The rod 32 at its rear end is threaded to receive a nut 33 so that the handle 17 is clamped on the rod 32 between the front support 15 and the rear support 16. With such clamped arrangement, the supports 15 and 16 are held against movement relative to each other and, since the front support can be removed only be rearward movement and the rear support can be removed only by forward movement, the supports are held rigidly in their respective sockets in the rib 13. Moreover, the front support '15 cannot be tilted, which movement is also necessary for its removal from its socket.

To hold the handle 17 firmly in place and prevent it from twisting on the rod 32, the latter is provided with an enlarged eccentric portion 34 adjacent its front end and fitting within a corresponding 'bore within the handle 17.

Also the front and rear ends of the handle 17 are notched to receive the upper portions of the supports 15 and 16. Thus, the handle 17 is prevented from twisting and because it is rigidly clamped between the supports, the handle is firmly held to the blade portion 10 of the tool.

From the foregoing description, it will 'be apparent that I have provided a novel cement masons float which may be readily manufactured of magnesium and which has a handle structure attached thereto in a manner which will withstand hard usage.

I claim:

1. A cement masons float comprising a blade portion and a handle portion, said blade portion comprising a flat blade having a central longitudinally extending upstanding reinforcing rib integrally formed on its upper surface, said rib having a front socket comprising a longitudinally extending recess and a bore extending longitudinally and downwardly from one end of said recess, and a rear socket longitudinally spaced from the front socket and comprising a bore extending downwardly and longitudinally in the opposite direction from said first-mentioned bore, said handle portion comprising a front support having a base seated in said recess and a pin projecting from one end of the base and extending into said first-mentioned bore, a rear support having a pin on its lower end extending into said second-mentioned bore, and a handle rigidly clamped between the 'supper ends of said supports and holding said supports against movement relative to each other.

2. A cement masons'fioat comprising a blade portion and a handle portion, said blade portion comprising a flat blade having a central longitudinally extending upstanding reinfo'rcing rib integrally formed on its upper surface, said rib having a front socket comprising a longitudinally extending recess and a bore extending longitudinally and downwardly from one end of said recess, and a rear socket longitudinally spaced from the front socket and comprising a bore extending downwardly and longitudinally in the opposite direction from said firstmentioned bore, said handle portion comprising a front support having a base seated in said recess and a pin projecting from one end of the base and extending into said first-mentioned bore, said base being substantially the length of said recess whereby said pin can be withdrawn from said first-mentioned bore only by tilting the front support to swing the base out of said recess, a rear support having alp'in on its lower end extending into said second-mentioned bore, and a handle rigidly clamped be'tweenthe upper ends of said supports and holding said supports against movement relative to each other and holding said front support against tilting movement.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 139,383 Goodsell May 27, 1873 483,132 'Baly Sept. 27, 1892 1,166,293 Wilson Dec. 28, 1915 2,594,878 Davis Apr. 29, 1952 2,626,520 Whalen 2 Jan. 27, 1953 FOREIGN PATENTS 314,247 Great Britain June 27, 1949 

